Kamada and Sarr Fire Crystal Palace Into Commanding Position After Shakhtar First Leg

The more you consider Daichi Kamada's contribution to Oliver Glasner's European nights, the more remarkable it becomes. In 2022, it was the Japan midfielder who scored the decisive goal in the first leg of Eintracht Frankfurt's Europa League semi-final against West Ham, a result that launched Frankfurt to the trophy. Four years on, in a different city, a different competition, and wearing a different shirt, Kamada has done it again. His goal and assist in Krakow leave Crystal Palace with a 3-1 advantage heading into next week's second leg, and the prospect of a European final feels increasingly real.

Shakhtar Donetsk were not passive opponents. Seven Brazilians started for the Ukrainian side, and their manager Arda Turan had been clear beforehand that his team would play with ambition. What he could not have anticipated was the opening 21 seconds. Ismaïla Sarr won a header from kick-off and was released by a sharp exchange of passes between Jean-Philippe Mateta and Kamada on the edge of the area. Sarr did not hesitate, and the net was bulging before Shakhtar had touched the ball. It is the fastest goal ever scored in the history of the Conference League. That it arrived from a move of such deliberate construction, rather than a speculative punt, suggests Palace had done their homework on Shakhtar's high starting positions at kick-off.

That kind of setback might have broken a lesser side. To Shakhtar's credit, they responded with a spell of sustained pressure that exposed some genuine frailties in Palace's defensive shape. For a period either side of the half-hour mark, the home side dominated possession so completely that they had completed 170 passes to Palace's 44. Alisson Santana caused repeated problems down the right flank and carved out two clear opportunities to level. Glasner's side were keeping their shape deep but looked uncertain whenever Shakhtar moved the ball at pace into wide areas, a recurring vulnerability for Palace when the press is bypassed rather than engaged.

Set Pieces Cost Palace, But They Recovered With Character

Conceding from a corner two minutes into the second half summed up what has been one of Palace's most persistent vulnerabilities this season. Kauã Elias attacked the near post from the set piece and the knockdown was turned home by Ocheretko, who was completely unmarked inside the six-yard box. Glasner cut a frustrated figure on the touchline and understandably so: Palace had kept their opponents at bay for large stretches through discipline and organisation, only to hand the equaliser over from a routine dead ball situation. It is worth noting that Shakhtar's Brazilian contingent bring considerable physicality and movement to set-piece routines, which makes Palace's inability to account for Ocheretko at the near post all the more puzzling.

What followed, though, said a great deal about this Palace side. Rather than retreating, they pushed back almost immediately and created a series of chances through Mateta and Sarr before a long throw from Chris Richards caused panic in the Shakhtar penalty area. Mateta's shot clipped the post. The warning went unheeded. Two minutes later, Kamada collected the ball in space and drove a left-footed effort through the Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk to restore the lead. It was composed, accurate, and timely. For a midfielder whose best work often comes in the pockets between the lines, Kamada's willingness to carry and finish in that moment was a reminder of the full range of what he offers.

Glasner's European Pedigree on Show Once More

There is a clarity to how Glasner sets his teams up for European knockout football that goes beyond tactics. He managed the tempo of this match with considerable intelligence: Palace spent much of the first half in a disciplined, compact shape before gradually asserting themselves in the final 15 minutes, visibly frustrating Turan who was animated throughout in his technical area. That ability to shift the rhythm of a game, to slow it and then strike, is a hallmark of Glasner's best European work. The 170-to-44 pass disparity in that first-half spell illustrates just how content he was to let Shakhtar have the ball in areas where they could not hurt Palace directly.

The third goal arrived with a degree of fortune. Substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen benefited from a catastrophic misjudgement by Valeriy Bondar, who completely misread the bounce of the ball and allowed Kamada to collect and lay the pass on a plate for the Norwegian to finish. Fortunate, yes, but Palace had earned the right to take those bounces after creating pressure in the right areas throughout the second half.

Kamada's Future and What It Could Mean for Palace

The standing ovation Kamada received from the Palace supporters when he was substituted off late in the match was telling. He is out of contract at the end of the season and, by most indications, appears likely to follow Glasner through the exit door. The irony is that winning this competition would bring Europa League football to Selhurst Park, a prospect that might yet give both men reason to reconsider. Sarr, meanwhile, has eight goals from 11 Conference League appearances this season, a return that would represent elite output in most European competitions and underlines why his future is likely to attract significant interest of its own.

Glasner himself has created something durable at Palace. The FA Cup triumph last season was historic, the first major trophy in the club's existence. A European final would represent something different again: confirmation that the transformation is not a one-season phenomenon but the foundation of something lasting. Whether or not he is the man to build on it, the legacy he leaves is already significant.

Verdict: Palace Favourites, But Shakhtar Will Not Surrender

A two-goal lead from a semi-final first leg is a comfortable position but not an unassailable one. Shakhtar showed enough in Krakow to suggest they are capable of scoring at Selhurst Park, particularly from set pieces and through the direct running of Santana. Palace's defending at corners remains a concern that Turan's coaching staff will have noted carefully.

What Palace have in their favour is the experience this squad has accumulated across a deep run in this competition, the form of Sarr who has been extraordinary throughout the tournament, and a manager who has been here before and knows precisely what it takes to close out a European tie.

If Kamada is to leave at the end of the summer, he is certainly making a case for being remembered fondly. And if Glasner's final chapter in south London ends in another European trophy, the supporters in that away end in Krakow will have been there for one of the defining nights that made it possible.

Sources: Match report, statistics, and direct quotes from Guardian Sport's coverage of Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace at Synerise Arena, Krakow, 30 April 2026.